The One
by Tempted Sacrifice
Summary: Harry cheats on Hermione, and this is a conversation between them afterwards. "You loved her once. How am I to believe that you still don't?" Silence. Nothing. She knew it; she knew that he would go back to her.


**The One**

**Ҩ**

"_We are not meant to be, but I don't care. We may not be made for each other, but I love you. We are so different, but you are perfect. Marry me?"_

The memory of his proposal seemed so far away, even though it had happened only days ago. The once joyful and heartfelt moment was now tainted with the image of him shagging another woman, a woman that was not her.

"Please take me back."

She stared at the door, eyes blurry with tears as she touched the hard wood, trailing her fingers down the cracks. She could hear his heavy breathing on the other side, and feel his hands heat through the door, warming her from the coldness that was there when he was not.

"Please."

His voice was cracked as he spoke up again, and she could vision tears stream down his face, see how he ran his hands through his hair, ruffling the already messy locks. The image broke her heart into pieces, and she crumbled to the floor, leaning her head heavily against the door as she let the sobs wrack through her body.

"I… I can't…"

Her voice was a mere whisper and she wasn't sure if he could even hear her. But the heartache was so agonizing that she could barely breathe.

"I love you."

She couldn't breathe anymore, when she heard him so clearly as if he was shouting, the words clinging in her ears wrapping themselves around her as a warm cocoon. Her cheeks flushed and a new batch of tears dribbled down as she scratched her nails against the wood, her heart yearning to be in his arms. But her mind, the rational side of her won and she stayed put.

"You… You cheated on me. You shagged another woman and you dare to come here and… And s-say those… Words to me!"

Furiously wiping her eyes, she willed herself not to cry, because she was sick of the pounding in her head and the burning behind her eyelids. She was so tired of hating him for what he had done, and still love him for who he is.

"She poisoned me! Please, you have to believe me. I cannot live my life without you!"

He sounded so desperate, so broken that her heart started to ache even more, as if that was even possible. But if she went back to him, would that guarantee her that he would never do it again, despite his claims that it wasn't even his fault? Could she still trust him whole-heartedly after this?

"You loved her once. How am I to believe that you still don't?"

Silence. Nothing. She knew it; she knew that he would go back to _her_.

"Yes. There was a time when I loved her, but… You have to believe me when I say that it was a long time ago, and that the love for her was nothing compared to the love I feel for you. She was a school-crush, nothing more. You… You are my life, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, grow old with you."

Her eyes snapped open as she heard his last uttered words, remembering that winter so many years ago when they'd been sitting in the woods, no hope left in their battered bodies as they tried to end a war they should've never been a part of.

"But she spoke of your love as if you were soul mates. She had even your whole wedding planned…"

She trailed off, the clogging in her throat becoming too heavy. She tried to say something, anything but all she could do was open her mouth. Not even a sound escaped, not the slightest whimper.

"That's one of the reasons why I couldn't imagine myself being with her. She had to have everything planned, and I was being suffocated by her demands, by her need to be in charge."

Her breathing eased up a bit, but she still couldn't manage to speak up.

"I love you, and only you and I don't wish to be with anyone else. And… Please, I want to be with you forever…"

"…"

"Dammit Hermione, could you please just say something!"

_Thump._

"Hermione, what happened? Please don't be dead."

_Click._

"Oh Merlin, please don't die now. You have to fight. Baby, don't give up yet…"

Her eyes fluttered open and frowned when she realized that she wasn't lying on the floor anymore, but was instead situated in a soft and warm bed. She got even more confused when she gingerly sat up, seeing the light grey walls and torches flickering.

"How are you feeling?"

She almost fell of the bed in fright, not having noticed that someone had come in to the room.

"Uh, I guess that I'm alright…"

The woman stepped closed to her, and Hermione saw that she was wearing the St. Mungos logo on her shirt. But as she was about to open her mouth to ask what the hell she was doing there, someone else walked in through the doors, cradling a tiny bundle in his arms. Tears welled up in her eyes and her hands flew to her mouth to keep the whimper from escaping.

"No pains at all?"

She shook her head, eyes still focused on the man and the bundle.

"You are lucky. Not many people can say that after having given birth. Especially as you were close to dying when Mr. Potter here brought you to the lobby…"

Hermione tuned out the nurse's voice, her attention now solely focused on the baby that was peering at her with sleepy eyes. But despite the fact that her baby hadn't opened his eyes fully, she could see that they were glittering like emeralds in the dim light. She lifted her arms, wanting to hold him in her arms, wanting to feel his little body pressed against her.

"He is beautiful."

She whispered, her fingers gently touching his head, stroking the tuft of black hair.

"He is."

Tilting her head upwards, she let a smile touch her lips as she beckoned him forward, gesturing for him to sit down.

"Oh, Harry. I love you so much."

At those words, the black-haired man of her life leaped forward, crushing her to his chest as he peppered kisses all over her hair and forehead. He had cheated on her, and she shouldn't forgive him, at least not this quickly. But it was easier to say than do.

Because she knew that he was the one.


End file.
